Fisker in cooperation with an independent fire expert from Pacific Rim Investigative Services Group has completed an investigation regarding a recent incident in which a Karma plug-in hybrid saloon caught on fire while sitting at a parking lot outside of a grocery store in Woodside, California, on August 10.
The company’s engineers and the fire expert said that the ignition source and root cause of the fire was traced to a cooling fan unit located ahead of the left front wheel.
“The final conclusion was that this sealed component had an internal fault that caused it to fail, overheat and start a slow burning fire,” the automaker said in a statement.
As a result of the findings, Fisker announced a voluntary recall in which the company’s dealers will replace the cooling fan with a unit that “meets the required specifications” and at the same time, “an additional fuse will be installed for added protection”.
The company’s co-founder and executive chairman Henrik Fisker, commented on the findings:
“We are committed to responding swiftly and decisively to events such as this to ensure total customer satisfaction. This incident resulted from a single, faulty component, not our unique EVer powertrain or the engineering of the Karma. As this situation demonstrates, Fisker Automotive is dedicated to doing whatever is necessary to address safety and quality concerns.”
The owner of the car involved in the Woodside incident, who was identified by Fisker as a Mr. Rudy Burge, had this to say:
“I have been incredibly impressed with the way Fisker has handled this incident. I have personally started seven technology companies and know from direct experience that the US needs more innovative companies of this type, especially in the automobile sector.
“Fisker is a great company and one that I am personally planning to invest in. I look forward to getting behind the wheel of my next Fisker.”
This is the second time that the $100,000 Karma has been recalled to fix a problem linked to fire risks, the first being in December 2011 (with additional cars added in June of 2012) over defective cooling hose clamps positioned within the high-voltage battery package.
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